Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals (1994 - 1998)

Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals was an anime original video animation (OVA) based on the Final Fantasy series of console role-playing games. It was released in Japan in 1994 and distributed by Urban Vision Entertainment in 1998 in North America. Urban Vision no longer holds the license to this series, and is no longer licensed to anyone in the US.

The series serves as a sequel to Final Fantasy V. It is divided into four thirty minute OVA episodes spanning two VHS tapes.

The story takes place on the same world as Final Fantasy V, named Planet R, set two hundred years in the future, where three of the four crystals have been stolen. The original heroes in Final Fantasy V are now legends of the past, and a new evil, Deathgyunos, has risen on the Black Moon and must be dealt with. Mid, a recurring character from Final Fantasy V, contacts a new hero and heroine: Prettz (Pritz) and Linaly (a descendant of Bartz). They eventually meet the sky pirate Rouge and Commander Valcus, commander of The Iron Wing.

Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals has a short and quickly resolved plot, typical of many fantasy OVAs. Due to its short length, a small time passes between the introduction of characters to their ability to defeat the "final boss." This contrasts sharply with the overall length of the Final Fantasy games themselves, as well as longer fantasy anime series such as Dragon Quest: Dai No Daibouken.

The following characters are related to characters from the video game Final Fantasy V. For example, Linaly is a descendant of Bartz, and Queen Lenna is a descendant of the old Lenna. Shido (pronounced "She-doh"; aka "Cid") and Mid are actually from both the movie and the video game.

Prettz
Linaly Klauser
Valkus
Rouge
Queen Lenna
Cid
Mid
Ra Devil

Several visual differences exist between the anime and the game its setting is based on:

Chocobos appear featherless and somewhat alien in appearance.
Linaly eventually unleashes a powerful wave of Chocobos, resembling an ultimate spell or summon. Chocobos have been available as summoned creatures in previous Final Fantasy games, usually at lower levels. This would indicate Linaly's spell is a significantly magnified version of such a lower level spell, amplified by the power of the Wind Crystal.